1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus such as a digital video camera recorder (or a camera integral type video tape recorder), an electronic still camera and an electronic book player, using an information recording medium such as IC recording medium normally referred to as a memory stick, a FD (floppy disk) in which a magnetic disk is stored or a disk-shaped recording medium in which an optical disk is stored. The present invention particularly relates to an erroneous insertion preventive mechanism for preventing an information recording medium from being erroneously inserted into an apparatus main body.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, there have been hitherto known, as electronic apparatus for recording and/or reproducing an information signal using an information recording medium such as a cassette tape or an FD (floppy disk) having a magnetic tape, a magnetic disk or the like stored in a cassette housing, a camera integral type video tape recorder (to be referred to as xe2x80x9ccamera integral type VTRxe2x80x9d hereinafter), and the like. This camera integral type VTR is constituted by providing a color camera and a video tape recorder integrally with each other and roughly consists of a camera block and a VTR block.
The camera block of the camera integral type VTR is comprised of a lens section fetching an image as a light, a photoelectric conversion section for converting an optical image passed through this lens section into an electric signal and a camera circuit section for processing the electric signal. Also, the VTR block is comprised of a mechanical deck section for holding a cassette tape serving as an information recording medium and recording and reading an information signal on/from a magnetic tape, a VTR circuit section for processing the information signal and a frame section for supporting the VTR circuit section and the mechanical deck section. The magnetic tape stored in the cassette tape is pulled out from within the cassette housing by a tape loading mechanism in the mechanical deck section, wound around a rotary drum and moved at a predetermined speed. A magnetic head attached to the rotary drum comes into contact with this magnetic tape while rotation. The information signal is written to the magnetic tape by this magnetic head or read from the magnetic tape.
As for such a camera integral type VTR or other electronic apparatus, a compact and highly reliable IC recording medium normally referred to as xe2x80x9ca memory stickxe2x80x9d has been recently developed and used as an information recording medium. By employing the memory stick as an expansion memory in addition to the cassette tape which is a conventional information recording medium, it has been possible to increase the recording capacity of recordable information. As a result, the recording capacity of a memory is increased by using the memory stick in, for example, a camera integral type VTR, many still images can be recorded with one memory stick and the convenience of the electronic apparatus of this type can thereby improve.
This memory stick has an outline as shown in FIGS. 21A and 21B. Namely, the memory stick 1 has a generally rectangular, thin, flat case main body 2 and a memory of mass storage capacity included in this case main body 2. A notch portion 3 is provided in one of corners at a tip end side in the insertion direction in which the case main body 2 is inserted into the electronic apparatus, so as to prevent the case main body 2 from being erroneously inserted thereinto. This notch portion 3 is formed into a convex circular arc surface and a concave portion 3a opened forward and laterally is provided on one surface of the case main body 2 of this notch portion 3. Also, many connector pins 4 are provided at the tip end side of the case main body 2. These connector pins 4 are exposed to the same surface as that of the concave portion 3a of the case main body 2. When the memory stick 1 is inserted, the connector pins 4 are connected to apparatus main body-side terminals inserted from a forward opening.
The memory stick 1 having such a configuration is detachably installed into an electronic apparatus from a recording medium insertion port 6 provided at the apparatus main body 5. This recording medium insertion port 6 is a space section having a size corresponding to the memory stick 1. A convex portion 6a engageable with the concave portion 3a of the memory stick 1 is provided in one of deepest corners of the insertion port 6. This convex portion 6a is provided on one surface of the recording medium insertion port 6 and configured such that the convex portion 6a is engaged with the concave portion 3a only when the memory stick 1 is inserted into the recording medium insertion port 6 with a correct posture in correct insertion direction.
However, the electronic apparatus according to the above-stated prior art is configured to employ, as means for determining whether the memory stick 1 is inserted in a normal state or a wrong state, the concave portion 3a of the memory stick 1 and the convex portion 6a of the apparatus main body 5. Whether the memory stick 1 is inserted normally or erroneously can be determined according to whether or not the concave portion 3a of the notch portion 3 is engaged with the convex portion 6a of the recording medium insertion port 6. In addition, since the convex portion 6a is provided in the deepest portion of the recording medium insertion port 6, the concave portion 3a does not reach the position of the convex portion 6a until the memory stick 1 is inserted up to the vicinity of the terminal end. Due to this, the electronic apparatus has problems that it is unclear whether the concave portion 3a is fitted into the convex portion 6a unless the memory stick 1 is inserted into the very end and that determination as to erroneous insertion cannot be made until the final stage.
That is to say, the depth of the notch portion 3 of the memory stick 1 (distance from the tip end of the memory stick 1) is restricted by an internal structure such as a memory and the like stored in the case main body 2 and is actually as small as about 7 mm. As a result, the determination as to the erroneous insertion can be made only immediately before the insertion operation of the memory stick 1 (not beyond 7 mm) is completely finished. This causes a user to be slow to recognize that the insertion direction of the memory stick 1 is wrong during the insertion of the memory stick 1.
Furthermore, the difference between the distance by which the memory stick 1 can be inserted into the apparatus main body 5 during erroneous insertion and the position of the memory stick 1 when the stick 1 is inserted correctly and insertion operation is completed is small (7 mm). For this, it is difficult to determine whether the memory stick 1 is inserted correctly or erroneously only from the insertion state of the memory stick 1. Due to this, if a user makes an erroneous determination and inserts the memory stick 1 from the erroneous insertion position by force despite the fact that the stick 1 is erroneously inserted, then there is a fear that the memory stick 1 and/or the apparatus main body 5 are damaged.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-stated conventional problems. The object of the present invention is, therefore, to solve the above-stated problems by making it possible to determine the erroneous insertion of an information recording medium at a position close to an recording medium insertion port while utilizing a notch portion provided in the information recording medium.
To solve the above-stated problems and the like and to attain the above object, an electronic apparatus recited in claim 1 of the present invention is an electronic apparatus for recording and/or reproducing an information signal using an information recording medium, comprising: a recording medium insertion port for taking in and out the information recording medium having a notch portion used to prevent erroneous insertion in one corner of the information recording medium; and an erroneous insertion preventive mechanism provided inside the recording medium insertion port to prevent erroneous insertion of the information recording medium, is characterized in that the erroneous insertion preventive mechanism is configured to be moved outward for the notch portion of the information recording medium to thereby allow the insertion of the information recording medium, and configured to be engaged for corners other than the notch portion of the information recording medium to thereby prevent the insertion of the recording medium.
An electronic apparatus recited in claim 2 of the present invention is characterized in that the erroneous insertion preventive mechanism has an elastic spring member having a stopper portion protruding forward in an insertion direction of the information recording medium and a support member for allowing the stopper member to be elastically deformed and supporting the spring member.
An electronic apparatus recited in claim 3 of the present invention is characterized in that the support member has a fixed portion for supporting one end of the spring member and a support portion formed integrally with the fixed portion, the support member being provided with a guide groove for moving the stopper portion for the notch portion of the information recording medium and for receiving the stopper portion to generate a reaction force for the corners other than the notch portion of the information recording medium.
An electronic apparatus recited in claim 4 of the present invention is characterized in that the support portion has a pair of support pieces formed to stride the inserted information recording medium and provided to overlap with the guide groove, the pair of support pieces supporting both ends of the stopper portion.
According to the electronic apparatus recited in claim 1 of the present invention and configured as stated above, due to the erroneous insertion preventive mechanism provided inside the recording medium insertion port, when the information recording medium is inserted in a correct state (with a correct posture in correct direction), the hotch portion for preventing the erroneous insertion of the information recording medium allows the passage of the medium and the medium is inserted to reach a predetermined position. On the other hand, when the information recording medium is inserted in a wrong state (which is a state other than the correct state), the corners other than the notch portion hamper the passage of the information recording medium and the medium is not inserted to reach the predetermined position.
According to the electronic apparatus recited in claim 2 of the present invention, the stopper portion of the spring member protrudes forward in the insertion direction of the information recording medium and the support member supports this spring member, whereby the stopper portion is guided by the notch portion and moved outside only when the information recording medium is inserted in a correct state to thereby allow the insertion operation of the information recording medium, and the stopper portion is abutted against the corners other than the notch portion when the information recording medium is inserted in a wrong state to thereby hamper the insertion operation of the information recording medium.
According to the electronic apparatus recited in claim 3 of the present invention, the entire body of the spring member is supported by the fixed portion, a guide groove is provided at the support portion continuous to this fixed portion and the stopper portion of the spring member is inserted into the guide groove, whereby when the information recording medium is inserted ih a correct state, the notch portion moves the stopper portion outside along the guide groove to allow the insertion operation of the information recording medium. When the information recording medium is inserted in a wrong state, the stopper portion is engaged by the corners other than the notch portion inside the guide groove to hamper the insertion operation of the information recording medium.
According to the electronic apparatus recited in claim 4 of the present invention, the stopper portion of the spring member is inserted into the guide groove provided at the paired support pieces so that the pieces overlap each other, whereby when the information recording medium is inserted in a wrong state and the corners other than the notch portion are abutted against the stopper portion, the both ends of the stopper portion are supported by the paired support pieces. It is, therefore, possible to resist the excessive insertion force applied from a user and to prevent the damages of the information recording medium and/or the apparatus main body because of forcedly applying the insertion force.